Lazarus...good point. People who are NOT sports fans only see the nagativity reported about athletes like mike vick and ray lewis. You don't hear about the hundreds of athletes who do good things partly because a lot of them don't seek out the attention and also because, lets face it, bad news gets ratings. A perfect example is wrestler John Cena. Cena has granted more wishes to the Make a Wish foundation than any other person. Over 300..but does that make TMZ?

And yes...people have become FAR more sensitive in the past 20 - 30 years. It's this PC society. The don't keep score in some youth sports leagues because "everyone is a winner". Schools have done away with valedictorian programs so as not to hurt the feelings of those were not good enough to make the grade. "Competition" is almost becoming a bad word

MJE do your own research and make your conclusions. If you read a book about slavery done by a plantation owner and then another by a writer who isn't affiliated to either side who which side would you tend to believe.

Read from the different sources and try to come to your own educated opinion. Think about how back then just like today being critical of muhammed and islam was like signing your death warrant, except back then there was no law to at least attempt to protect you

I wasn't referring to Christians in SciFi specifically, though I get your point about the nature of the conflict between science vs religion. I'm talking about fiction in general, even outside the small genre of SciFi. Over the weekend I happened to catch A Few Good Men on AMC, which happens to be one of my all time favorite movies, despite its very obvious liberally slanted nature. Jessup and Kendrick are both portrayed as conservative types (Kendrick even at one point says he keeps a King James Bible under his bed), and they're clearly the villains in the film. I've never understood why Aaron Sorkin felt it was necessary to make them Christians at the same time (and Sorkin has repeatedly used conservatives as bad guys in his works since).

I'll grant that throughout history Christians have used the Bible to trumpet their own agendas countless times, starting with the Crusades. But there are also genuinely great people who happen to be Christians as well; the Tuohy family in The Blind Side make a great example. It's coming to the point where Christians are generally portrayed as shortsighted snobs just as Muslims are terrorists and atheists are "enlightened."

Just a thought - I've already agreed that yes, people seem to be getting more sensitive these days...but for those who are hanging onto this "kids need to suck it up" mentality...for one second, be honest with yourself. When you were a preteen and teenager, were you as self conscious as the rest of us? Did you worry about looking stupid? Did you yearn for approval and admiration from your peers? Imagine how much more difficult that would be in a world where most every cell phone is equipped with a camera which can also take videos, and your every mistake and mishap could end up on Facebook or youtube. I really think you need to cut today's kids a hell of a break.

Oh but wait a second SC. Let's be real here also. With this new world that is so connected and broadcast how many moronic kids do we see on the internet. Not just the accidental captures but the INTENTIONAL morons who seem to get the most attention. Just look at Jack Ass, in this new world stupid gets you famous it seems. Sorry, there are a LOT of the kids today that like that attention. It seems being stupid gets you peer approval, come to think of it that was the way it was when I was growing up. And yeah kids need to stop being coddled. Especially the non competition bullshit. Seriously. What is the point of competition if there is no winner? The Valedictorian thing is just flipping stupid beyond words. We have to remove acknowledgement of success because hurt others feelings? Seriously? WHAT ABOUT THE FEELINGS OF THOSE WHO SUCCEED!!!!! Oh wait that is right, that is what PRIVATE SCHOOLS ARE FOR. Yeah the new world mentality can take a nice long swallow off the end of my flesh pole. I have no use for it.

This was not directed at you in particular SC. Just in general. The new world makes me sick, and history/science has proven the rule. If you cage a wild animal long enough it forgets how to survive on its own. THAT is the issue with our society today. We are not allowing our children the knowledge of how to survive.

I agree, Laz...there are plenty of idiots who put themselves out there for ridicule...but they are generally part of the "any attention is good attention" crowd. We were talking about role models/people to look up to earlier...it pains me that some look up to Johnny Knoxville and Tom Green...wow...Tom Green...how retro!